I like when breweries take chances and concoct new libations and that is exactly what Council Brewing Co. has been doing since I’ve been there last. I was hop-stopping in San Diego last Saturday and happened to be in the neighborhood so I thought, “What the hell?” My first time there was great so my anticipation was palpable.

So down Clairemont Mesa Blvd. we drove to the industrial park off Convoy St. where Council’s unassuming tasting room/brewery is located. There was a small crowd so we easily got a table big enough to stretch out a long Timeline.

I was pleased to see the changed-up menu offerings. Even the selections from the Magic Factory had changed. I remembered the Lickable Staves Sour that I had wanted to try but I didn’t see it up on the board so I might’ve missed my chance. I saw on their website that Lickable Staves won Best In Show at the SD International Beer Competition! Congratulations to them but now my regret is even greater that I never tasted it. As the Old Man would say, “Bird in the hand and all…”

The first beer I tried was a hazy IPA called Hazeas Corpus. It was a 6.7% and so citrusy with tropical juiciness. Delicious. Sean went with a new draft release called Miss Olivia that was a respectable 6.8%. Carie got a Blonde called Lively Banter that was 5.5% ABV. Ck stuck with the fruity theme of the night and got a 4.5% Guava Beatitude Tart Saison. The Old Man and I also split a Bully Pulpit which we had both tried the first time we visited and wanted to experience again.

@Council has a well-rounded and extensive menu. They have 2 NE-style IPA’s and 6 flavored Beatitude Saisons. Just up on the main menu are 14 different beers plus 2 new releases on tap. Then there’s the Magic Factory selections: 8 beers ranging in strength from 5.8% to 6.8% that are brewed at a different location.

Council has bottles to go and merchandise for sale. Of course, the Old Man found the clearance bin.

Of course, I had to buy one of those clearance shirts since I love CBC so much. You can also get growlers and crowlers filled. Flights are $10 for 5 tasters which is a great option if you are trying to sample a selection from the menu rather than focusing on one or two pints.

The best part about ending the night at Council Brewing? Our television star Pennywise!

I went to the ladies room and this is what I saw: It’s a sign from you-know-who.

With good traffic, I can make it to #SanDiego in an hour and a half. That’s the perfect amount of time to anticipate all that the south-most county in California has to offer. With a plethora of breweries and map full of comic book shops there is always something to do. I was in San Diego last weekend for a wedding and had a night to kill so I set my radar to find the coolest brewery I’d never been to so far and I came up with Societe Brewing Company.

It was around 6:00 on a Saturday night when I showed up with the Old Man, Ck, & Carie. The tasting room was packed as well as almost every table outside. We quick snagged an empty spot and contemplated the menu.

@SocieteBrewing has four different styles of beer that they brew: Out West, Old World, Stygian, & Feral. Sean and I went traditional with IPA selections from Out West. I got the Publican, a 5.5% Small IPA and the Old Man tried the 6.9% Fiddler IPA. We were happy with our choices and they were just hoppy enough. They were both light in color but the flavors were developed and foremost.

Carie went with a 5.6% Belgian Blonde called Harlot from the Old World menu. Ck wanted it fruity so he chose one of the Feral brews called Henchman, a 6.1% that was $10 for a 12 ounce pour. It is also known as a fruited beer and it can be called feral, or “wild,” because a different type of bacteria is used in the fermentation that produces different flavors.

Societe doesn’t offer flights but you can get up to two samples if you are on the fence about what you want to try. They have a great selection so deciding could be a problem. There was one thing about Societe that I didn’t like. That was their “full pours” being 12 ounces instead of 16. Lame. Don’t know why it bothers me but I kind of feel like I am getting gypped out of that extra 4 ounces.

There are also bottles to go and growlers you can get filled at the bar.

Something that I always enjoy seeing are the brewery tours and Societe offers them on Saturday’s at 2:00 and 4:00 pm.

Dogs are just as welcome as people at Societe Brewing and they actually have merchandise for sale for the pooches. Talk about a stylish puppy, wearing a Societe dog tee and munching on beer bones!

People-sized shirts for women are available for $17.

The decor is old fashioned and whimsical. I loved the black silhouettes on the wall with their steampunk-style lights in front of every one.

And the piano in the corner was cool. A good selection of games lined the top but we had come prepared with our own cards to play. We’ve been hooked on one called Timeline. It’s addicting, fast, and fun and you only need 2 or more to play. It’s perfect for a brewery.

Societe is great for a night of hanging out and trying different styles of brews. The atmosphere is relaxed and the place is well-run. There’s a menu board that lists what upcoming food trucks will be there and sometimes they have events. They’ve got a charitable night with a dog rescue receiving the proceeds. It was National Sour Day when we went so they had specials on their Feral selections.

I’ll be back to Societe Brewing Co. and there’s not much that I think should change. They’ve got this down. I can’t wait to try some of their 7%+ IPA’s and I’m always ready for a game of Timeline.

If you are going to San Diego, you have many choices when it comes to drinking good #craftbeer. There are a lot of breweries you can visit and they are each wonderful in their own ways. But I believe Council Brewing Company is maybe a little more wonderful and definitely worth a stop.

They are a self-described “nano-brewery” but the menu offers a diverse selection. By the time I got to Council on that fine Saturday, I was already buzzed. That may have clouded my vision and led me to order a 7.0% Make IPAs Clear Again. Whatever it was, I was extremely pleased with my selection. It had a strong number behind it but it didn’t taste like a typically overly hoppy west coast IPA. It was a mellow IPA that was very drinkable.

The old man went with the award-winning Bully Pulpit that was a high 7.2% ABV.

I snapped this picture of him behind the cut-out. The term comes from a speech by Teddy Roosevelt in which he refers to the White House as a “bully pulpit.” The brew itself is another great IPA from Council. Not too hoppy at all, very clean finish. I can see why it was the medal winner.

Carie tried the Farmer’s Gold Belgian Saison and she liked the light 5.7% beer and Ck started off with a 5.2% Pilsner called Diamond In The Grain.

Neither of them could resist getting their pictures taken with the Bully Pulpit cut-out either.

Here is a nice, readable picture of the menu-board. It’s surprisingly well-populated list of alcoholic delights.

Council Brewing is like any other brewery, kid and dog-friendly. Which is good in one way and bad in another, for me at least. But I’m not complaining. The kids in there were quiet and not running all over the place. The parents had trained them well. We were probably louder than the kids and we had just as much fun playing with the blocks. I got to meet this sweetie too!

When it was time for our second round, we all tried something new. Except Carie, who knows a good thing when she finds it. She stuck with the Farmer’s Gold. I got a 100% Maybe IPA that was lighter than my first and measured in at 6.3%. Again, I was impressed with the flavor of their brews….delicious!

Sean ordered a Questionable Advice IPA that was a 6.7% and Ck delighted his taste buds with a 3 Berry Beatitude Saison. Even though it was a light 4.5% ABV, it was so tart & tasty. We had Charlie join us for our second round and he went for the heaviest right away. He got an 8% Royal Blood Imperial Red IPA that was dark in color and tasted like coffee.

They have a special menu of sours that are brewed at another location called The Magic Factory.

One of them is called Lickable Staves and I was curious about what a “stave” was so I asked the brewtender. He informed me that it is a plank of wood in a barrel. So next time I go back, I definitely want to try the sour Likable Staves.

I liked Council Brewing Company a lot. The only disadvantage is that it is tiny and not meant for crowds. But the selection is extensive and the brews are good. They brew truly craft beer and it is obvious once you try your first taste.

Go ahead and do yourself a favor. Visit and enjoy Council Brew then check it off your list of things to do in #SanDiego. Your drunk self will thank you.

Last month I was lucky enough to try a new location of a previously-visited brewery, At Ease @ Barrel Harbor, and to experience a whole new brewery, AleSmith Brewing Company, while I was in San Diego for the weekend. This month, I found myself in San Diego again with a lot of time and a lot of nothing to do. So you know what I did? I got drunk.

I started out the day right with a big breakfast and then a visit to the Villainous Lair where Ck picked up a new Munchkin game called MOOPS: Monster Mash-ups. Then it was time to commence the drinking that I knew was going to happen all day long.

Our first stop was at Bay City Brewing Company. It is located in an industrial area off the 8 freeway and close to Mission Bay (hence, the “bay” in “Bay City”). Bay City is also about a two minute drive from Modern Times Beer.

Bay City is spacious and seemed even more so when we got there a little after it opened at noon because of the lack of people. More folks eventually showed up and I got to meet two dogs during my time there. Always the highlight!

A well-behaved Frenchie

The Pug that wandered in from the storm

Their menu isn’t extensive so I was able to pick out right away what I wanted to try.

I went for the basically-named San Diego Pale Ale and the one with the highest ABV, 7.7%.

Sean tried a Power Play IPA that I told him to get because I wanted to try that one too and I knew he would like it. It measured in with a 6.9% ABV.

Carie had the Vienna Lager, a mellow 5.0%, and Ck had the Dark Lager that came in at 5.3% ABV.

The Pale Ale & the IPA were very hoppy. Very resinous tasting and mine killed my taste buds in such a way that I was able to enjoy the rest of my pint. Otherwise, I would’ve been scowling with every sip. I tried little sips of Ck’s & Carie’s lagers and they were so light in comparison. They were delicious and worth a second visit.

We sat around a pallet table that was big enough for 8 people and played a game of Munchkin. It was so much fun because our group has been talking about doing it for about as long as we’ve been playing Munchkin, which is about 3 years. Finally! Our wish come true!

Old man kicking down the door

Ck likes his treasure, his precious

Carie, plotting her win

We didn’t have a game board but not to fear! Ck had purchased each of us our own 10-siders that corresponded to our home-game Munchkin colors. What a thoughtful guy!

I languished around level 1 for so long as the rest of those munchkins rose up until Carie eventually claimed the win.

The brewtender who came to collect our empty glasses also asked if we wanted refills and the answer of course, was, “Yes, please!” That was a nice touch of service and I will always remember Bay City as very customer-oriented.

A brew tour bus came through so it got a little crowded for about half an hour but then it cleared out and it was just our gang of four with a Frenchie guy and a couple other humans left over.

A woman from the tour pissed everywhere around the toilet and nowhere in the toilet. What, did she think she was in the men’s room? Sidenote: Bitches please! At least clean your piss up so I don’t have to if you can’t use a toilet seat the right way. It’s your own damn piss. Bitches. The bathrooms were nice and clean other than that little incident.

Behind the scenes at Bay City Brewing Co.

The brew vats are set up off in the back. They are lit up with cool blue lighting that goes with the silver of the tanks. Cool design, owners!

There is a back patio area that I didn’t get to visit because I love sitting on my ass. Next time I’m at Bay City Brewing, I will check it out.

I liked this brewery a lot. It is roomy enough to deal with crowds and has some pretty tasty beer. I would recommend starting with the light end of their spectrum and you won’t be disappointed.

The location is another great thing about Bay City that will definitely bring me back in. Parking could be better but when I was there, parking wasn’t an issue so I won’t complain. I’ll just say, I would hate to have to find close parking after 4:30 on most weekdays and all time during weekend nights.

Bay City Brewing Company is a must stop if you are in the Mission Bay area. I had a great time there and will be back, for sure.

Barrel Harbor is a San Diego brewery with a great reputation and a decent local distribution. Their original location, 2575 Pioneer Ave. #104, Vista CA , attracts all types of people. From hipster beer-snobs, like the two pictured here,

to casual one-pinters, it seems everyone likes Barrel Harbor. And now there is a whole new plethora of reasons to like them.

In January of 2017, @BarrelHarbor opened a new location. They collaborated with At Ease Games and popped up right next door, which gave way to one of the greatest tap rooms ever: At Ease @ Barrel Harbor.

So the brewery is connected to a game shop, which i thought was really cool. What goes together better than beer and games? I looked around At Ease Games for a little while and my friends ended up buying some Munchkin card packs and a new Cthulhu game. When we were done there, we headed next door to begin our Sunday of brewery-hopping.

The new location is huge. Located at 8990 Miramar Rd., San Diego CA, they’ve got 16 taps and so many different delicious choices, I could’ve spent all day there. Here is a picture of their menu board & current offerings:

It was close to noon when I walked into At Ease @ Barrel Harbor and it was empty, save for the lone brewtender. I wanted to start with something light so I tried the South Island Pilsner with a 5.2% ABV. The beer was served in a tall, kinda skinny pint glass that made it seem really fancy. The Old Man tried the Barrel Harbor Red Ale with the same ABV. Ck had what I had and Carie had a Blunderbuss Belgian Blonde that charts at 6.5%.

My pilsner was a golden color and it was cold and not flat. In fact, there were so many bubbles coming off the bottom that it looked like champagne. It tasted crisp and a bit citrusy. I liked it a lot.

Everybody else enjoyed their choices as well. When it was time for a second round, I wanted something harder so I sent Sean up to the bar with the explicit instruction to find me something “strong and good.” When he came back with my Little Nugget IPA, I was not disappointed. It was 7.4% and didn’t taste overwhelmingly hoppy. It went down smooth and had a clean finish. I wasn’t paying attention to what everyone ordered for their second beer so I can only say that the two I tried were top notch, tasty, & full of flavor.

There is an area in the middle of the place where you can buy merchandise like shirts and pint glasses engraved with the Barrel Harbor logo.

They have demo games available at that counter too. You can choose any game you want to play and if you like it enough, you can go next door and buy it.

At the rear is the game room. This is where the experienced role-players go. There are gaming tables set up so you can spread out and conduct a real adventure with your friends.

The longer we sat drinking, the more people showed up and headed to the back. The game room is a popular addition to this brewery.

Since At Ease @ Barrel Harbor is located near a military base, they offer discounts for the service, police, & firefighters.

There are specials listed on the menu outside like the BOGO 50% on Tuesdays.

Like most breweries, Barrel Harbor allows pets and children. The pets part I like; don’t get me started on the kids.

I loved how this location is so large. I should’ve looked to see what the max capacity is. It seems like it could never get too crowded and there are plenty of places to sit.

I’ve been to a lot of breweries but I have to say that At Ease @ Barrel Harbor is the one of my favorites. The very concept of a game store connected to a brewery is genius. This is the kind of brewery I will go back to whenever I am in #SanDiego. It’s fun to exercise your brain with games while also killing those same brain cells with alcohol. The circle of life.

San Diego is pretty classy when it comes to breweries. The Coronado Brewing Company is no exception. @CoronadoBrewing has been around for 20 years and they have made a good name for themselves with locals and tourists alike.

There are a few locations around San Diego County in which to sample from their wares. Last Sunday I visited the Tasting Room on Knoxville. It was my first time so I did not know what to expect but I was immediately happy about their stellar selection. It took me a little while to finally decide on a Punk’In Drublic at 8%.

This pumpkin ale has so much flavor and a spicy aftertaste. Not the kind of spicy that makes your nose runny but the nutmeg/cinnamon combination prevalent in many Fall dessert creations. It’s not too sweet…in fact, it’s perfect!

The old man and I have about the same tastes for beer so he went with the Punk’In Drublic too and he loved it. Ck had the Parallel Pale Ale and Carie tried the Sea Breeze Lager. They were both kind of light on the ABV which is why I didn’t try either of them but they looked beautifully golden in color.

Here is a shot of their extensive beer menu. These are just some of the brews available. There is another menu of the “staple” beers from Coronado and a tele screen with more listed. It would take a long, drunk time to try each one of the brews on the board. But I would take that challenge!

The Meaning of Life

We had just visited the Game Empire and bought some great games that we were eager to try. Carie picked one out called Quiddler. It’s a scrabble game with cards. There are eight rounds and you get more cards in each successive round. You have to try to make up words. There were some creative ones but I think this one by Carie takes the cake. Ck described it as a very 1980’s slang phrase.

Needless to say, Ck won the one game of Quiddler that we played and I came in 2nd place.

The tasting room is in the same big warehouse as the brewing vats and kettles as well as a bottling machine of some sort. Possibly, maybe. Probably not.

Coronado Brewing Co. has merch set up everywhere that you can take home with you. You can buy cans & bottles to go if drinking alone is your thing. J/K!

Or you can buy t-shirts, hoodies, key chains, and anything else you can put the CBC brand on. They also sell Growlers in various sizes so get one filled and take it home with you!

Not only is Coronado dog friendly, they have regular local dogs that come in all the time with their people. I got to meet a few of them when I was there and it made my day.

Something else that made my day was seeing the bunghole and getting to point it out with my own two fingers.

The bunghole is where the beer goes into a barrel where it stays to age and develop flavors.

TP for my bunghole.

Everything about Coronado Brewing Company is shiny and attractive and clean. It wasn’t too crowded when we started drinking at 1:00 on Sunday but groups of people trickled in more and more as we stayed longer. It’s the kind of place you don’t mind spending a couple of hours in.

Service is fast and friendly. There is a food truck schedule posted for when you get the inevitable munchies. A big hot dog was there serving weenies during the time we were there. Unfortunately they had not bought their veggie dogs that day so they lost two sales.

I can’t wait to go back to Coronado Brewing Company! It’s a fun and mellow place to hang out and drink. You can bring your own card game to play or watch some balls on the tele behind the bar.

It’s in a great location, right off the 5 freeway near Sea World (boo). The coastal breezes keep the weather all nice and cool so it never gets too hot in there. The Coronado Brewing Co. definitely stands out among nearby breweries as one of the greats. It was a pleasure going there and I will be back!

@ModernTimesBeer is a brewery in San Diego that you need to check out. San Diego is famous for their breweries and this one is bound to go down in legend.

Here we are, all ready to have a whoop ass night before the official start of Comic Con.

They have two locations, one in Point Loma and one in North Park. We visited the Point Loma “Lomaland Fermentorium” on a Wednesday night around 8:30. The brewery is in a warehouse in an industrial kind of district and there is construction on the street outside. It’s easy to drive past it, but by the second time around, you’ll see the marquee lights of the Modern Times sign and wonder how you ever missed it in the first place.

When you first walk in, you notice how large it is on the inside. The bar takes up a big portion of half of the front of the warehouse. Behind the bar is a selection of brewing vats and kettles. At the far end of the brewery is where they sell their merchandise like t-shirts, coffee beans to go, beer to go, and stickers.

I ended up buying one of their logo shirts in black but I was a little disappointed that only a couple of their shirts said they were from San Diego. I mean, #drinklocal and be proud of where you’re from.

One wall is an entire art piece made of different colored post-it notes glued to the wall. They make the image of a woman with a monkey and it is super cool.

There are a shit ton of beers to choose from. I tried the Orderville IPA to start off with and Sean picked the Pale Ale. Both beers were tasty and flavorful. Although Sean got a Pale Ale, it was very light in color. We are used to darker Pale Ales like Stones and Sierra Nevadas.

They even have coffee available for a quick sober-me-up that is among some of the finest you can buy.

There are spools and barrels for tables so we took one off to the side.

It was near the big wide open door in the front and right in the direct path of the breeze that was rushing through. It can be humid during the summer in San Diego so the natural cooling was appreciated.

We sat next to a wall that featured lovely black velvet paintings of no one you’ve ever heard of. It was brilliant.

Then one whole warehouse wall was slathered in single comic book pages with a big MT logo up at the top.

Modern Times Beer even offers growlers and so I got a picture of their vintage lighted menu sign. Hey, high fives are free! I didn’t get one though. I guess they’re saving up.

Among all the other breweries you can go to in San Diego, this one should be on your rotation. It’s close to the airport and Sea World and Old Town…great location. My favorite part was seeing the live nude club called Les Girls on the drive there. I can’t wait to check that joint out sometime!

So if you find yourself in Southern California for the weekend or even just a day, make a stop in at Modern Times Beer and you won’t regret it.